King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
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King Salman Royal Natural Reserve Embarks on Planting Half a Million Trees in 2022

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)
The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program has attached utmost importance to environmental protection and natural resources. (SPA)

The King Salman Royal Natural Reserve (KSRNR) started planting 500,000 tree seedlings in the reserve in March. The initiative was kicked off in cooperation with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The operation began in mid-March with the planting of 400,000 seedlings in Jubbah and 100,000 in Al-Tubayq.

It will be implemented in two stages until the end of November 2022, while irrigation and care services will continue until 2024.

The afforestation project is part of an agreement between KSRNR and the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification. It aims to increase the green area, reduce desertification, restore biodiversity in natural environments, and improve the quality of life, to achieve the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative.

KSRNR also signed a contract to plant 100,000 seedlings in the Al-Tubayq region this year, including care work and irrigation services.

The tree planting efforts coincide with Environment Week, which is held annually by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

KSRNR is working on several initiatives in the reserve in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Cover and Combating Desertification, the universities in Tabuk, Hail, and Al-Jawf, and several voluntary bodies and charities, such as the Green Tabuk Association, the Tabarjal team from the Sidr Al-Jouf Volunteer Association, among others. It aims to achieve the necessary environmental awareness for the local communities.



Japan’s Weather Agency Declares Flowering of Tokyo’s Cherry Blossoms as the Festive Season Begins 

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Japan’s Weather Agency Declares Flowering of Tokyo’s Cherry Blossoms as the Festive Season Begins 

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 24, 2025. (AFP)
Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample cherry tree, Somei Yoshino species, for phenological observation conducted by the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency, are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 24, 2025. (AFP)

Japan 's official cherry blossom spotters on Monday confirmed the first blooming of the country's favorite flower, declaring the official start of the festive season in the Japanese capital.

An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency carefully examined the specimen tree of Somei Yoshino variety at Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine and announced that more than five blossoms — the minimum required for the announcement — were flowering on it.

The opening matched the average year and was five days earlier than last year, according to the JMA.

Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are Japan’s favorite flower and usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of a new school and business year. Many Japanese enjoy walking or picnicking under the trees.

Sakura have deeply influenced Japanese culture for centuries and have regularly been used in poetry and literature, with their fragility seen as a symbol of life, death and rebirth.

The announcement in Tokyo, which is enjoying warmer-than-usual temperatures of around 19 Celsius (66 Fahrenheit), comes just one day after the blooming of the nation's first cherry blossom was confirmed Sunday in the southwestern city of Kochi on the island of Shikoku.

The JMA tracks more than 50 “benchmark” cherry trees across the country. The trees normally bloom for about two weeks each year from first bud to all the blossoms falling off. They are expected to reach their peak in about 10 days.

Cherry trees are sensitive to temperature changes and the timing of their blooming can provide valuable data for climate change studies.

In recent years, Japan's cherry blossom season has tended to come earlier than the average, prompting concerns of a possible impact of climate change.